SITE SELECTION AND PREPARATION

You will have to decide what site and arrangement to use. Before building a fire consider--

The area (terrain and climate) in which you are operating.

The materials and tools available.

Time: how much time you have?

Need: why you need a fire?

Security: how close is the enemy?

Look for a dry spot that--

Is protected from the wind.

Is suitably placed in relation to your shelter (if any).

Will concentrate the heat in the direction you desire.

Has a supply of wood or other fuel available. (See Figure 7-4 for types of material you can use.)

Tinder

Kindling

Fuel

Birch bark

Shredded inner bark from cedar, chestnut, red elm trees

Fine wood shavings

Dead grass, ferns, moss, fungi

Straw

Sawdust

Very fine pitchwood scrapings

Dead evergreen needles

Punk (the completely rotted portions of dead logs or trees)

Evergreen tree knots

Bird down (fine feathers)

Down seed heads (milkweed, dry cattails, bulrush, or thistle)

Fine, dried vegetable fibers

Spongy threads of dead puffball

Dead palm leaves

Skinlike membrane lining bamboo

Lint from pocket and seams

Charred cloth

Waxed paper

Outer bamboo shavings

Gunpowder

Cotton

Lint

Small twigs

Small strips of wood

Split wood

Heavy cardboard

Pieces of wood removed from the inside of larger pieces

Wood that has been doused with highly flammable materials, such
as gasoline, oil, or wax

Dry, standing wood and dry, dead branches

Dry inside (heart) of fallen tree trunks and large branches

Green wood that is finely split

Dry grasses twisted into bunches

Peat dry enough to burn (this may be found at the top of undercut
banks)

Dried animal dung

Animal fats

Coal, oil shale, or oil lying on the surface

Figure 7-4. Materials for building fires.

If you are in a wooded or brush-covered area, clear the brush and scrape the surface soil from the spot you have selected. Clear a circle at least 1 meter in diameter so there is little chance of the fire spreading.

If time allows, construct a fire wall using logs or rocks. This wall will help to reflector direct the heat where you want it (Figure 7-1). It will also reduce flying sparks and cut down on the amount of wind blowing into the fire. However, you will need enough wind to keep the fire burning.

CAUTION

Do not use wet or porous rocks as they may explode when heated.

In some situations, you may find that an underground fireplace will best meet your needs. It conceals the fire and serves well for cooking food. To make an underground fireplace or Dakota fire hole (Figure 7-2)--

Dig a hole in the ground.

On the upwind side of this hole, poke or dig a large connecting hole for ventilation.

Build your fire in the hole as illustrated.

If you are in a snow-covered area, use green logs to make a dry base for your fire (Figure 7-3). Trees with wrist-sized trunks are easily broken in extreme cold. Cut or break several green logs and lay them side by side on top of the snow. Add one or two more layers. Lay the top layer of logs opposite those below it.

Buy The Book This Site Is Based OnThe 'Survival Skills' section of this site is based on 'U.S. Army Survival Manual', a public domain work published by the U.S. Department of Defense that is available for sale at Amazon.com.